Report says Pope John Paul miracle nears final recognition
(January 05, 2011) A presumed miracle needed for the beatification of late Pope
John Paul II reportedly has reached the final stages of approval. The miracle, involving
a French nun said to have been cured of Parkinson's disease, has been approved by
a Vatican medical board and a group of theologians. It is now awaiting judgment
from the members of the Congregation for Saints' Causes, according to Italian journalist
Andrea Tornielli. If the congregation accepts the healing as a miracle attributable
to the late pope's intercession, then Pope Benedict XVI still would have to sign
a decree formally, recognizing it before a beatification ceremony can be scheduled.
Tornielli, who covers the Vatican for the newspaper Il Giornale, wrote on Tuesday
that the process is so far advanced that Pope John Paul could be beatified sometime
in 2011. Vatican spokesman Jesuit Fr. Federico Lombardi told Catholic News Service
on Tuesday that the final step before beatification, requires the Pope's approval
and that the Holy Father is free to make his own decision on the matter. In 2005,
Pope Benedict set Pope John Paul II on the fast track to beatification by waiving
the normal five-year waiting period for the introduction of his sainthood cause.